


love will save your soul (of feeling so alone and growing old)

by isacabral



Category: Pitch Perfect (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Mythology, F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-14
Updated: 2021-01-14
Packaged: 2021-03-12 07:28:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,506
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28756650
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/isacabral/pseuds/isacabral
Summary: Beca knew that being treated as an outcast came with her job as Ruler of the Underworld. She just didn’t know how lonely it would become after a couple hundred years.
Relationships: Chloe Beale/Beca Mitchell
Comments: 34
Kudos: 144





	love will save your soul (of feeling so alone and growing old)

**Author's Note:**

> OKAY. This story was mainly written sometime back in 2018 but only a couple of weeks ago I got the final surge of inspiration to properly finish it, thanks to the amazing support I got by reblogging some of my old moodboards. You guys rock! Hope you enjoy this story as much as I enjoyed writing it.
> 
> Title’s from Grouplove’s Love Will Save Your Soul

Following the overthrow of first the Titans and then the Giants by the Olympian gods, Beca drew lots with her sisters Amy and Emily to decide which part of the world each would rule. Amy received the sky and earth alongside her brother Zeus, Emily the seas, and Beca the underworld.

Beca knew Amy had for sure cheated. She wasn’t too sure about Emily, the girl being the wild card she was. But she was smart enough and knew she couldn’t beat both Emily _and_ Amy if they decided to fight her back — and they _would_ if Beca tried to reclaim any of their realms for herself — so she accepted her fate quietly. Beca had always preferred the more placid realms, anyway.

She remained one of the most responsible gods, the one who took her job the most seriously. Which was kind of a relief for everyone else, she guessed, since she had probably the most important of all jobs, ruling over the dead and all.

With only her three-headed dog Sirius as a companion, Beca ruled the underworld with a kind of sobriety and fairness that was not seen amongst her sisters, earning herself a reputation as pitiless and menacing she was pretty sure it was Amy’s doing. She always got a kick out of antagonizing Beca.

Her reputation turned her into an outcast; she was the only goddess who wasn’t living up in Mount Olympus therefore the only one who didn’t quite mix with their affairs. And there were _a lot_ of them. The Olympians were just a bunch of misbehaved children with a lot of power.

So for a while, Beca was quite fine with her solitude; she thrived in it.

Until she got lonely.

//

“‘Sup, Benji.” Beca took off her Helm of Darkness, becoming visible again to greet the newly arrived to the Underworld.

It was a habit she had picked up on ever since she started getting bored by her seclusion. Sirius bristled next to her as he spotted the newcomers so she reached over to run her fingers through his dark mane.

Benji was Beca’s ferryman, bringing down the souls bound to spend eternity in her halls. He was also the closest thing to a visitor she ever got, these days.

“Hey Beca,” Benji greeted her back, stopping the boat at the edge of the underworld’s gates. “Incoming.”

“Thanks.”

Beca watched as each soul walked through the gate, fearful, refusing to look either at her or Sirius. She held in her resigned sigh.

It was just how things worked.

//

If Beca’s father was still alive, she knew what he would say. He’d say her loneliness was her own fault for refusing to work out an arranged marriage and become a _proper_ ruler. But Beca had watched arranged marriages ruin the lives of humans as well as gods, who became hateful and vengeful beings who cheated, murdered, and cursed on their spouses.

And contrary to popular belief, Beca wasn’t either hateful or vengeful. But no one had ever bothered to check.

The goddess grumbled, picking up her pace as she walked through her Asphodel meadows. Another habit she had picked up on out of loneliness; she walked through the fields she was still allowed to roam to escape the deep abyss of torment and suffering that was Tartarus.

She liked the neutrality of the meadows. They were still dark and cold like the rest of the Underworld but they were so near the surface that Beca could hear and see what was happening and it made her feel less isolated.

Sirius wasn’t allowed up here since he had to keep guard of the gates so Beca roamed alone, invisible to both the souls existing among the flowers and the living beings that tattered on its edges. She quite liked this arrangement too, to be honest; this way, Beca could just _be_ , without old kings quarreling about verdicts or shrieking Furies demanding new souls to torture.

At that moment, she could just appreciate the ghostly glow of the asphodels, the way they blended in with other earthly flowers, creating the wonderful illusion that life and death could co-exist in a beautifully peaceful way.

If she focused, she could almost hear…

_Got a sneaking sense your hunt’s for gold, teachers cracking rules and now parole, love will save your soul..._

Beca was immediately struck by the beautiful voice; it was sweet, tender, and colorful, filling away all the idle spaces inside her until she was left with nothing but a sense of fulfillment. Whole. It had been so long since Beca had felt this way that was left breathless and dizzy, her loneliness no longer at the forefront of her mind.

Beca couldn’t explain what had happened if she wanted to, she just knew she needed to feel it again, over and over.

Forever.

//

From then on, every dawn found Beca roaming down the meadows in hopes of hearing that melodic, sweet tune again. And every morning, without fail, there she was.

Each time, Beca found herself discovering new things about the voice; it belonged to a stunningly graceful redhead who walked amidst the blooming flowers as if one of them. She tended to everything that caught her attention with the utmost tenderness and care, always humming a gentle tune that carried around, tugging at Beca’s dusty heartstrings, softening them away.

She was also never alone and the nymphs who accompanied her always called her Chloe. Beca knew who she was; Chloe was one of Demeter’s daughters.

Beca smiled for the first time in a long while; what a fitting name for the owner of such a beautiful voice.

Listening to Chloe sing while she picked up flowers soon became the better part of Beca’s days.

//

Given the gods’ tendency to kidnap, marry, murder, and/or enchant beings at their will, it was natural for Beca that Demeter never left Chloe alone. She also couldn’t help but notice that Chloe had a tendency to “lose” her company whenever she wanted to explore something that was just outside wherever they were allowed to go.

She watched it happen the day Chloe’s attention fell upon the valley of yellow narcissuses that mixed themselves with her asphodels by mid-year.

Beca also couldn’t help the panic that started pounding in her chest as soon as she realized how much closer Chloe was then her usual. Beca had been so distracted by the song Chloe was singing today — it was new and it sent shivers down Beca’s spine — that she missed the fact she was right at the edges of the meadows.

And Beca wasn’t wearing her helmet today. She _knew_ she shouldn’t have let Stacie borrow it.

_Fuck._

Beca’s eyes widened when she realized Chloe had in fact drifted towards her meadows, her attention focused on the bright yellow shining in her meadows but also never neglecting the other foliage, nursing not only the asphodels but other small vines to a vitality they never had before.

Like any respectful underworld goddess would, Beca ended up scrambling up a pomegranate tree to remain unseen. Which just meant she was dangling precariously off its slender branches hoping they’d keep her upright and _hidden_ as long as Chloe was there.

A living, breathing being got into her realm.

And Beca, given her outcast status as a god, was not supposed to talk to them.

However, Beca wasn’t prepared for the effect Chloe’s voice would have on her as close as she was. It nursed not only the vegetation around her back to life but also had a big effect on Beca.

It was… _enthralling_.

And it made Beca fall. Literally.

Beca fell on the floor with a loud thud.

“Are you alright?”

Beca panicked, still faced down because there was no mistaking how close the voice was now. Chloe was right in front of her.

What was she supposed to do?

As gracefully as she could — which wasn’t much, Beca was aware — she fixed herself, getting up and pushing her shoulders back, schooling her features. She was a goddess, after all.

“You’re not supposed to be here,” she said in place of a greeting.

Her rudeness didn’t seem to affect Chloe, however, who just smiled brightly at her.

“I know,” she winked at Beca, who felt her upright stance falter. “But what’s fun about following the rules, right?”

Beca wouldn’t know, since she always tended to follow them, albeit reluctantly.

“Do you even know where you are…?” she pretended not to know her name to not make things weirder.

“Chloe,” she supplied easily, even if Beca knew who she was. “And I was hoping you’d tell me,” she winked at Beca. “Who are you?”

“Beca,” she stopped when she saw a flash of recognition spark in Chloe’s eyes.

“Emily and Amy’s sister,” Chloe said softly. “I guess this means I’m in the underworld, right? It’s prettier than I thought.”

Beca didn’t know whether she should feel offended or delighted by that.

“This isn’t exactly _it,”_ she explained. “You’re at the Asphodel Meadows, where the souls of people who led ordinary lives rest. It’s a mirror image of life on Earth, only… ghostly and paler.” Chloe hummed, looking around as Beca talked. “Humans aren’t supposed to cross the barrier.”

“Good thing I’m not human, then,” Chloe winked at her again and this time she was sure she could tell Beca was blushing. “How do you deem someone’s life as ordinary?”

Beca was caught off guard by the question.

“What do you mean?”

“You just said this is for people who led ordinary lives. Who decided that their lives were ordinary? Who judges that? Is it you?”

Chloe’s questions were asked at rapid-fire and Beca did her best to try and answer them; unlike many people — namely her sisters — Chloe seemed genuinely interested in what Beca had to say, and she found out that Chloe’s regular voice was as enchanting as her singing voice. She didn’t seem to care for the fact that Beca kept trying to conceal her face or that she was being elusive and closed off even as she answered all of her inquiries.

(And there were a lot of them).

Chloe was just plain nice. And Beca was smitten.

“I have a feeling we’re gonna be really fast friends,” were Chloe’s parting words, with a promise she’d be back soon.

All Beca could do was try and conceal her smile.

//

Surprisingly enough for Beca, she and Chloe really did end up becoming friends.

They couldn’t meet every day — even if Beca maintained her habit of going up to the meadows every morning — but every now and then Chloe ditched the nymphs who escorted her and sneaked into the Asphodel Meadows to meet Beca.

Beca felt her heart flutter whenever Chloe smiled at her, face flushed from the rush of sneaking around. They would wander around, sometimes talking, sometimes in silence but always relishing in each other’s company.

“You have a beautiful voice,” Beca blurted out one day when Chloe was humming under her breath, softly stroking the asphodels’ petals.

“Thank you,” Chloe’s nose scrunched up as she gave Beca a bashful smile. “I got it from my mom. To help her blossom the flowers in the spring.”

Beca smiled, the motion coming easier now that she was regularly hanging with Chloe; she thought, not for the first time, how another piece of Chloe’s life managed to be so fitting to her personality.

Her voice definitely caused new feelings to blossom inside Beca’s chest.

//

“I wanna meet him.”

Beca paused, having just finished telling Chloe how she got Sirius. They were sitting just outside the meadow, by the banks of the river that would eventually turn into Styx, leading to the gates of the Underworld.

“You want to _what?”_ Beca choked, believing for sure Chloe had gone insane. “Didn’t you hear what I just said?”

“I did,” Chloe’s tone was nonchalant as she took a blade from the grass they were sitting on to transfigure it into a plum. “He sounds adorable!”

Beca barked out a laugh; Chloe was all kinds of wonderful.

“I can’t let you down, Chlo, no matter what kind of being you are,” she explained. “Sirius is very nice to those who come down, not so much to the ones who wanna come back up.”

Chloe hummed for a moment, taking a bite of her plum. “Can we try it anyway?”

There was a moment, not long enough, before Beca caved. It was something that should annoy her more than it did, but she and Chloe had been doing this for a while now, and Beca knew it was pointless to fight it.

“You can’t go like that though.”

//

Beca tried to reign in her smile when she felt Chloe tugging on her hand as Benji navigated them through Styx.

He didn’t question her when she hopped on the boat and demanded a ride — he knew better than that — but he was bound to ask something if the goddess of the Underworld started bursting in giggles while seemingly alone.

“Thanks, Benji,” Beca waved goodbye as she hopped off the boat, hoping invisible-Chloe had done the same.

“You’re welcome, ladies,” the ferryman winked and sailed away.

“He knew!” Chloe’s happy voice echoed and Beca could picture her smile.

“Of course he did,” Beca muttered, rolling her eyes. “Come on, we’re almost there.”

Sirius was sitting at an attention position and perked up when he saw Beca.

“Hey there, buddies,” she greeted him, unable to keep her voice from softening. “We have a visitor,” she whispered, hoping he wouldn’t bristle at Chloe’s presence like he usually did with strangers.

“They’re so cute!”

When Beca turned back, she could see Chloe again, who had taken off her helmet and had a wide grin gracing her face.

“Chloe, meet Sirius.”

“Hi,” Chloe said softly and Beca watched, enthralled, as she approached her dog with the utmost reverence until she was close enough to let them sniff her.

And then she watched, dumbfounded, as Chloe managed to turn Beca’s three-headed, imposing and vicious guard dog into a three-headed lap puppy, licking her face and turning over so she could scratch their stomach.

Seriously, she knew Chloe wasn’t human but not even her sisters had managed to win over Sirius. And Emily tried to bribe them with fresh-water eel.

“I knew you were magical, I just didn’t know you were _that_ magical,” she commented when all three heads flopped on Chloe’s lap, tired from all the excitement.

“What can I say?” Chloe smiled coyly at her. “I’m charming that way.”

The flutter in Beca’s stomach couldn’t help but agree with that assessment.

“C’mon, we gotta go if you want me to show you what I’m working on for the not-so-bad people,” Beca said.

“Fine,” Chloe sighed, kissing all three foreheads before she got up.

“Bye guys,” Beca ruffled each head before absentmindedly grabbing Chloe by the hand to show her around.

“You know,” Chloe said as they edged through Tartarus. “If you pet all three heads separately, they should each have a name.”

Beca couldn’t help but snort; this woman really was something else.

“Don’t be ridiculous, Chlo.”

//

“Wow.”

Beca gave Chloe a sideway look, pleased to notice the wonderstruck look on her face matched her amazed tone. They were a little farther on the west side of her Asphodel Meadows, close to the beach. The waves broke calmly against the shore, leaving behind a delicate trail of foam and seashells. Beca watched with a soft smile as Chloe bent down to pick one, putting it up her ear with closed eyes and a smile. It was a breathtaking view.

“This place is beautiful, Becs,” Chloe said when she finally opened her eyes again. “How did you come up with it?”

“Well, it’s not done yet,” she said. “But I talked to Emily and she agreed that by the beach would be a nice place to spend eternity, don’t you think?”

Chloe nodded her agreement. “It’s lovely.”

“I kept thinking about what you said the other day. About why the people who didn’t lead a bad life had to choose between the meadows or Tartarus and how that was an unfair choice,” she shrugged, feeling a little self-conscious. “I know a thing or two about unfair choices.”

“Your sisters,” Chloe said softly and Beca nodded; they had never actually talked about it but it didn’t surprise Beca the fact Chloe had picked up on it. “It’s why you’re here.”

Beca scrunched up her nose in a grimace, not trusting her voice before she cleared it up. “It all worked out for the best, I think.”

Chloe didn’t say anything, just gave Beca one of her trademark kind-hearted smiles, getting closer without breaking eye contact. She always smelled like blooming lavenders and it quickly became one of Beca’s favorite smells; it reminded her of soft, sunny days, velvety laughter, and songs that made you feel complete, like you were worth something good.

“I think so too,” Chloe husked out, close enough now that she could reach for Beca’s cheek and pull her in for a kiss.

Beca didn’t know how long they stood there, sharing soft kisses under the light, salty breeze, with the foamy waves lightly lapping at their feet. She just knew it was enough for her to never want it to end.

“As much as I am loving this,” Beca interrupted them after a while. “I did bring you here with an ulterior motive.”

“And that motive _wasn’t_ to make out with me?” Chloe said cheekily, her eyes sparkling; if Beca didn’t know any better, she would have thought she was head over heels in love with Chloe.

“Not only that,” Beca winked. “I was wondering if you could help me finish it. Here.”

Chloe’s smile lit up her whole face and Beca couldn’t help but mirror it.

“I’d be honored.”

//

They lost track of time.

It wasn’t Beca’s fault, though; she couldn’t help but watch in awe as Chloe seamlessly helped her build an idyllic paradise with lush green fields coated with flowers of silver and gold blooms on the lawns, grass ripples in rainbow colors, and flowing streams of water that led to the sea in an atmosphere so calm and soothing that Beca was seriously considering staying there forever herself.

When they finally made it back to the Asphodel Meadows, it was to find an antsy messenger waiting for them by its edges.

“Jesse?” Beca questioned when she finally recognized him. “What are you doing here?”

“I was sent here, by the Council,” he said, his voice serious and face darkened with somber, much different from the easy-going, laughing god Beca remembered. “They want you both at the Olympus. Beca’s being trialed for kidnapping.”

“ _What?!”_

“I didn’t kidnap anybody!” Beca said indignantly.

“Neither of you has been seen for days,” he hissed and Beca felt her stomach tighten, not in a pleasant way. “And Gail said she last saw Chloe come in here.”

Beca cursed under her breath; of course, the peeping goddess of magic would be keeping tabs on everybody’s whereabouts. Especially with the amount of magic they had been using to try and build the new part of her realm. _Fuck,_ she was really in trouble now.

“They can’t trial Beca for kidnapping, I came here voluntarily!”

“That won’t matter, Chlo,” Beca heaved a sigh. “I’m in charge of this realm and I did keep you here for several days, apparently. That’s all they’ll care about.”

“ _No,_ Beca, it’s not fair,” Chloe looked furious, the red in her hair glowing darker in rage; it was a new sight of her, and if Beca weren’t dreading seeing her sisters and the rest of the Olympian gods she would have more time to appreciate how hot this side of Chloe was. “I won’t let them do it.”

“Oh yeah?” Beca let out a disbelieving laugh. “You’re gonna go up against Zeus, your mother, and the rest of them?”

“Yes,” Chloe answered resolutely, eyes narrowing on something behind Beca. “And I have a plan.”

//

When they eventually made their way up to Mount Olympus, Beca, Chloe, and Jesse were met with an uproar, everybody talking and screaming at once. All the gods were there, forming up the Council — even Beca’s sisters, who gave her surreptitious thumbs-up and smiles — and many of them weren’t happy. But no one looked more furious than Demeter.

“ _You!”_ she said, pointing an accusatory finger at Beca. “You took away my daughter!”

“Dude, I didn’t do anyth—”

“ _Enough!”_ Zeus’s booming voice echoed around like a clap of thunder ripping through the skies, effectively shutting everybody up.

“Beca, firstborn daughter of Kronos and Rhea, Ruler of the Underworld. You have been brought up from your realm to be judged by the Council under the charges of kidnapping Chloe, daughter of Demeter, goddess of Springtime and Nature. Do you agree to those charges?”

“I—”

“No,” Chloe interrupted before Beca could say anything. “She doesn’t.”

Quiet chatter erupted among the gods. “Chloe, honey,” Demeter looked at her pleadingly. “You don’t have to do this.”

“Yes, I do, mother,” Chloe said firmly. “I can’t stand by and watch you guys bully and outcast one of your own again,” she took a deep breath and Beca watched, astounded, as she kept talking. “None of you even know her. You’ve heard rumors, you’ve spread lies but not once any of you took the time to go down there and see for yourself what was really going on, too busy wrapped up in your own affairs to care.”

Beca’s eyes were wide, her breaths shallow as she watched Chloe berate the entirety of the Olympian gods without even batting an eye. It was amazing.

“Beca is a _goddess_. She has a beautiful realm and is a wonderful, _fair_ ruler, which you would know if you had ever bothered to check.”

“To be fair, living beings aren’t supposed to live in the Underworld, Red,” Amy was the first to speak up, breaking the stunned silence that had followed Chloe’s speech.

“And I wonder whose fault was that?” the glare Chloe sent Beca’s sister had Beca trying to conceal a smirk, biting down her lips. “ _You_ tricked her into staying there because you were afraid of how powerful she is, leaving her down there by herself while you guys were free to hop between realms creating mayhem with no consequences.”

“Beca is kind and patient and she actually _listens_ when other people have something to say, unlike many of you,” Chloe’s face was a mask of fierce determination and Beca was struck once again by how beautiful all facets of Chloe were. “But I’m hoping you will listen to me when I say — she did _not_ kidnap me.”

“Then where were you this past week?” Aubrey, goddess of the moon and the hunt and senior member of the Council, demanded.

“I was down in the Underworld,” Chloe admitted. “By my own volition!”

The gods started fussing again, getting louder and louder, but Beca noticed her sisters, seated by Stacie — she remembered her as being the goddess of love and beauty — seemed almost amused by the whole thing, alerting Beca to the fact they were up to something. Whether it was good or bad remained to be seen.

_“Enough!”_ Zeus’s thundery voice quieted everybody down again. “How is this possible?”

“Chloe was helping me build a new part of my realm for the good souls, Elysium,” Beca finally spoke up, drawing the Council’s attention back to her. “We kind of lost track of time.”

“You’re building a new part of your realm? Since when?”

“Since Chloe helped me realize some of the souls were being unjustly tortured,” Beca said, catching the way Chloe was looking at her from the corner of her eyes and trying desperately not to blush in front of the Council. “Emily helped.”

“It’s true, I did,” she agreed.

“And how long have you and Chloe been in close contact?” Demeter demanded, still furious.

“A while,” Chloe shrugged, nonplussed. “She’s a great company, mom.”

“And what did you do while you kept each other… company?” she gave Beca a pointed look and Beca knew she knew their feelings weren’t exactly platonic.

Beca wasn’t exactly _afraid_ of Chloe’s mother but she also wasn’t keen on having a bad relationship with her. She was, after all, a part of Chloe’s life just as Beca was hoping she could be.

“We talked, Beca showed me around the Underworld, I met Sirius, ate some pomegranates…”

At Chloe’s words, chaos erupted anew among the Council, as Beca knew it would. Chloe didn’t seem phased by it, simply winking at Beca when they shared a look.

“ _Chloe,”_ Demeter shrieked. “You have any idea what that means?!”

“Yes, mother,” Chloe smiled at her. “It means I’ll have to spend more time in the Underworld with Beca.”

“As her wife,” Amy said, clearing her throat, and Beca turned to her sister with panicky wide eyes. “You’ll have to stay there as her wife.”

Chloe turned to smile at Beca and she felt herself melting away like she always did when Chloe’s eyes locked on hers.

“That’s easy,” she said. “I think she’ll have me. Won’t you, Becs?”

This time Beca wasn’t able to fight off her blush no matter how hard she tried. “Yeah.”

Chloe winked again, interlacing their fingers. “Awes.”

//

“This is nice,” Chloe hummed, stroking Beca’s hair absentmindedly.

They were lying together on a hammock on the porch of their house by the beach in Elysium, enjoying a peaceful afternoon together. Their wedding ceremony had taken place at the Garden of Hesperides and all the gods had been on their best behavior, much to Beca’s surprise. Even her sisters, who had teamed up with Stacie to get them together, were keeping a low-profile and had kept their speeches surprisingly clean.

Everything was great, as they hadn’t been for a while for Beca, and yet she couldn't get rid of a nagging feeling knocking around inside her head.

“Nicer than being up there? With the living?” Beca mustered up the courage to ask even if she was afraid of breaking their peace and quiet.

“Beca…”

Beca’s eyes were downcast but Chloe’s gentle touch managed to tilt her head so they could lock their gaze. “No being, alive or dead, has ever made me feel more like myself than you do. Everything I’ve said about you during the trial and our vows was true.”

“I just don’t want you to regret it, Chlo,” Beca bit her bottom lip nervously.

“Regret what? Being treated as an equal by the person that I love?”

Beca gasped, her heart attempting to leap from her chest. “You love me?”

“Well, I married you, didn’t I?” Chloe rolled her eyes at her, but she was smiling. “Dork.”

“You did,” Beca couldn’t contain her beaming smile and she leaned in so she could kiss her _wife_ on the lips. “I love you too, Chlo.”

**Author's Note:**

> You can find me here and here and you can also listen to this fic's playlist on Spotify here. Let me know what you think!


End file.
